The Marine 2: Lay This To Rest
by derangedperson
Summary: One year after the Marine incident, Luffy is still shaken by what happened to him.  With Nami's help, he finds a way to fight back.
1. Unpleasant Memories

Luffy gulped as he ascended the stairs into the kitchen. Even though it had been a year since the Marine incident, he still felt a slight twinge of fear whenever he was the first one back to the Sunny, which was once again the case on this May 5. As he approached the door leading to the deck, he stopped and peeked through the porthole. All he could see was an expanse of green and the twin staircases leading to the upper deck and the ship's figurehead.

There was no Marine waiting for him this time.

Luffy opened the door and stepped out onto the grass, breathing in the sea air and stretching his neck, taking a cautious glance up into the crow's nest. Upon seeing Zoro's training area was clear, he snapped his head back down and continued to his quarters. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, he heard what sounded like footsteps behind him and froze.

_Not again. Please, not again._

He whirled around, expecting to find another masked assailant waiting for him, but all he saw was a stray mikan laying at his feet. He picked it up and began to peel it as he opened the door to his room and sat on his bed, staring into the mirror across from him. He put his hand to his straw hat and mumbled, "Fits me nicely, don't you think?"

_It's gonna make a damn nice trophy once I have your bounty._

Luffy shuddered and tried to make sense of why he felt this way. He and Nami had talked things over before and after last year's party, gone over how he'd felt through the ordeal of his faked capture. Both had thought that would be the end of it, but as he sat in his room, he found himself reliving the events of that day.

_"I told you you were mine, Straw Hat."_

_"My crew will come for me!"_

_"Be a good boy and stay right there. If you don't...you're goin' overboard."_

_"Sounds like we have guests. I guess I'll say hello."_

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and with his blessing, Sanji entered the room. "Hey Luffy, we're back! Didn't you hear us calling you?"

"Oh...I guess I didn't."

"Since it's your birthday, I think I can cut you a little slack this time. We're setting everything up right now, so just hold on for a little while. I'll come get you when we're ready."

"Okay, Sanji." As the cook turned to leave, Luffy asked, "Was Nami with you?"

"Of course Nami-san was with us. Why wouldn't she..." His voice trailed off as he realized why Luffy had asked that question. He sighed and said, "That Marine thing's still bothering you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. I thought after Nami and I talked it over last year that everything would be fine, but...looks like I was wrong."

"I'll go get her. Just wait here for a few seconds." Sanji shut the door and left Luffy alone with his thoughts, which grew more and more depressed by the minute.

_It's my birthday. I'm supposed to be happy and ready to celebrate...but I'm not. Why am I still so afraid?_


	2. The Sadness

Nami approached the door to Luffy's quarters with a great deal of apprehension. She had her Marine costume in her hands-the clothes, the hat, the gloves, the wig, the mask, the Tone Dial, the sunglasses-thinking that its presence would help settle Luffy down and help him to get over this. When she knocked on his door, she found it was already open. She entered his room to find him laying flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling. She called out his name to get his attention, and when she got no response, she went to his bedside to get a better look at him. His eyes were fixed on the roof, almost as if he was trying to avoid looking at her.

"Come on, Luffy. Sit up." She sat down on the side of his bed, grabbing Luffy's hand and pulling him up to sit alongside her. She could tell right away that despite everything that had been said a year earlier, he was far from okay on what should be one of the happiest days of his life.

"Talk to me, Luffy. What's wrong?"

He sighed and answered, "I can't stop thinking about last year, Nami. For the last few days I've been having nightmares about it."

"Nightmares? Like what?"

"Like the Marine catching me trying to escape and throwing me overboard. Like the Marine capturing all you guys and turning us in for the reward. There was even one that I had where the Marine...just point-blank shot me as soon as I walked onto the deck." He glanced down at the costume and jerked his eyes back to hers just as fast. "And no matter what, the dreams always ended with the Marine taking the mask off and saying 'happy birthday' in the meanest, nastiest voice. And at that point, it's you behind the mask, and it's you saying it."

Nami was stunned. She had told herself over and over again after the fact that the whole thing was just a joke, an elaborate prank to distract him from the party being set up right under his nose. But judging by Luffy's state of mind, this was a joke that had gone way, way too far. She tried to speak her peace before Luffy cut her off.

"I still can't believe you, of all people, did that to me. I was scared out of my mind for two hours, and to find out all that effort it took for me to escape-the rope burns, the tape ripping my hair out, the gouge in my back-was for nothing..." Luffy's voice trailed off and he buried his head in his hands, sighing heavily. "_That's_ what hurts me the most: the fact that it was you."

Tears welled up in Nami's eyes throughout his explanation, and with a heavy heart, she asked him, "Remember when you said that you knew it was me the whole time?"

"Yeah."

"Did you really know?"

Luffy stared at the costume in her lap and sadly shook his head. "No. No, I didn't. I said that to make you feel better. I honestly had no idea that it was you."

"Oh my God..." Overcome with guilt, Nami threw her arms around Luffy and squeezed him tight. All the things she had done and said to him during that two-hour period came flooding back to her, causing her to lose what little composure she had left. Luffy returned her embrace and ran his fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down when he felt the mask slide onto his knee. He glanced at it for a few seconds before an idea popped into his head.

"Nami?"

She wiped her eyes and asked, "What?"

"I think I know how to fix my problem."


	3. The Battle

As Sanji finished decorating the cake, Chopper helped Franky and Brook hang strands of crepe paper from the ceiling. Robin and Zoro had set the table, while Usopp arranged the presents and blew up a series of balloons. Sanji glanced at the clock and said, "It's almost time for the party. Usopp, can you check on Luffy; see how he's doing?"

"No problem," he answered. Just as he was about to open the door, a loud crash was heard outside, causing everyone to drop what they were doing.

"What the hell was that?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know, but it didn't sound good," Franky replied.

"Open the door, Usopp!" Sanji exclaimed.

"O...okay!" The door swung open to reveal Luffy staring down the Marine, his assailant from one year ago. Usopp screamed, "DAMN! The Marine's back!"

"What?" Brook yelled, drawing his sword. "Everyone prepare to fight!"

Just as the Straw Hats prepared to enter the fray, Sanji put up his hand and said, "Hold on, guys. Luffy's gotta do this on his own."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"I talked with him about this earlier. Remember what happened last year?"

Everyone gave nods or exclamations that they did.

"Well, maybe this is the fight Luffy wins."

With an understanding of what was going on, the Straw Hats exited the kitchen and sat on the stairs to the mikan groves, eagerly anticipating the showdown. Before they started, Chopper asked, "Is it still Nami?"

Nami lifted the mask and removed her sunglasses. "It's me, Chopper!"

The reindeer smiled and sat down as Nami put her disguise back on, once again becoming the Marine. As she spoke, her voice became the infamous low, distorted rumble of itself, thanks to the Tone Dial. "So, we meet again, Straw Hat."

"You've got a lot of nerve coming back here, Marine. What happened last year is _not_ going to happen again."

"I don't know about that. I found you again, didn't I? And this time your crew is here to witness my victory."

Getting into the spirit of things, Usopp yelled, "You haven't even started fighting! How can you say you've already won?"

"Quiet, Long Nose, or you're next!"

"I'd love to see you try!"

"So...where were we? Oh, yes: We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Straw Hat. Which do you prefer?"

"Never been a big fan of the easy way...so let's try the HARD WAY!" Luffy swung at the Marine with as much force as he could, only to have the officer block it with their staff.

"You've lost a few steps, Straw Hat. But as for me..." The officer broke the staff in two and wielded a piece in each hand. "...I'm just as strong as ever."

With a one-two cadence, the officer swung at Luffy with the rubberman blocking every blow. The Straw Hats cheered him on, which earned them a glare of annoyance from the Marine. Zoro returned the glare with a middle finger salute.

The distraction gave Luffy an opening that he used to sweep the Marine off their feet and jump on top of the officer, punching them repeatedly. While it looked to the Straw Hats like the punches were connecting and they flinched accordingly, closer inspection revealed Luffy was pulling his punches at the right moment and Nami was moving her head back and forth along with him. As Luffy prepared to throw the knockout punch, the Marine grabbed his hand and stood up, eliciting gasps from the Straw Hats. Chopper and Usopp screamed in disbelief while Robin said, "I think the tables just turned."

She was right. The Marine grabbed a piece of the staff and knocked Luffy off of his feet, grabbing the other piece and reattaching them in the process. Placing one end under Luffy's chin, the officer knelt down and demanded, "Surrender, Straw Hat. There's no way you can win."

"I guess you don't know me very well," Luffy answered. "No matter how bad the situation looks, I ALWAYS find a way to win. I pulled it off against you last time, and I'll do it again!"

"And how do you plan to do that?"

Luffy pulled his legs back and planted them in the Marine's chest, kicking his assailant off with a determined grunt. "Like THIS!"

The officer stumbled backwards as Luffy attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks that kept the Marine off balance and pushed them further towards the ship's guardrail. The Straw Hats held their breath to see what Luffy would do next as he backed the Marine up against the edge and threw one last punch. The force of the blow caused the Marine to fall backwards, swinging their arms to try and stay balanced as Luffy stretched his arm backwards, screaming, "GOMU GOMU NO..."

He snapped his arm towards the Marine as the Straw Hats screamed in anticipation. The officer braced for the blow, but was surprised when nothing came. Opening their eyes brought the sight of Luffy's fist inches from their face, the rubberman having stopped his attack just in time. Luffy grinned and turned his fist into a pointing finger and gently tapped the Marine on the forehead, finishing his attack call:

"...POKE!"

With an exaggerated flourish, the Marine fell over the side of the ship, screaming all the way down. The battle won, Luffy leaned over the side, screaming, "AND DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK!"

When the Marine fell overboard, the Straw Hats rushed to Luffy's side and congratulated him on winning the fight.

"Good job, Luffy!" Chopper said.

"That was a SUPER fight!" Franky exclaimed as he struck a pose.

"Is my Nami-san alright?" Sanji asked. "She'd better be, or so help me, YOU'RE GOING OVERBOARD TOO!"

"She's fine, Sanji," Luffy answered. "Take a look."

The crew looked over the rail to see that Nami had safely landed in some netting hanging on the side of the Sunny. She had taken off the mask, wig and sunglasses and was waving to them, saying, "I'm okay, guys! Can you help me up?"

"Sure thing!" Luffy stretched the upper part of his body up and over the railing towards Nami, scooping her into his arms and bringing her back to the deck. His body snapped back to normal as he set her back on her feet, asking her once again if she was okay.

"I'm fine, Luffy. You did a good job."

He smiled and replied, "So did you."


	4. Denouement

After cleaning themselves up, Luffy and Nami sat down with their crewmates in the dining room, waiting for the party to start as Sanji finished preparing dinner. After seeing what had occurred moments ago, everyone had questions they wanted to ask, and Chopper was the one to break the ice.

"Why did you bring the Marine back, Nami?"

"Well," she answered, "I hadn't planned on it because I thought Luffy had put last year behind him. I had no idea he'd been feeling the way he was."

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked.

"Ever since then I've had a fear of being alone or of being the first one back here," Luffy replied. "If I was, I'd be looking over my shoulder and hiding out in my room until I knew you guys were back."

As Luffy spoke, Nami caught a knowing glance from Zoro that seemed to say, "I told you so." She remembered he had told her she'd gone too far, and her captain's state of mind over the past year had proven him right. Giving a slight nod to him, she turned her attention back to Luffy.

"Whenever we'd fight a group of Marines, I looked for him in the crowd. When you guys said 'stay here and behave' or whenever Franky called me 'Straw Hat,' I heard it in his voice. Sometimes when you guys were talking with me, I'd hear his voice. It was like he was looking over my shoulder, waiting for me to let my guard down."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Usopp asked. "You seemed like you were fine last year."

"I put on a brave face for you guys. Inside, I was terrified, and it was killing me."

"When Sanji told me to go talk to him, I brought the Marine costume with me," Nami added, "thinking it would help if I showed him that he never existed. But it didn't at first. Then, out of the blue, Luffy got an idea."

"To have that fight?" Brook reasoned.

"Yep. He and I talked it over and decided that if he wanted to be rid of the Marine, he'd have to stare him down and fight, just like he's done so many times before. We planned everything out and choreographed our battle so it would look realistic, and off to the races we went."

As Nami explained their plan, the mood around the table changed from one of sympathy to one of proud amazement. Franky grinned and said, "I'm impressed, Straw Hat. You faced your fear and conquered it."

"Well, the King of the Pirates has to be fearless, right?" Luffy said.

"And the fact that this was all your idea is what astounds me," Sanji added.

Luffy put his arm over Nami's shoulder and said, "It wasn't _all_ my idea." Sanji seethed as captain and navigator exchanged knowing glances and smiled at one another.

"Are you feeling better now that you've won?" Robin asked.

"A lot better! In fact, I'm so much better, I could eat a whole Sea King!"

"You have, too," Zoro cracked. "We've seen you do it!"

"Just make sure you leave some for everyone else this time," Sanji said as he passed out the main course. "If you don't, your ass is mine."

And with that exchange, Luffy's party got underway. There were cheers, birthday toasts, and the obligatory rendition of Binks' Sake. After the gifts were exchanged and the cake was eaten (three-quarters of it by Luffy), there was just one thing left to do.

Nami gathered the Marine costume together and tied it into a sack, hanging it over the ocean. Usopp loaded his Kabuto with a Fire Star and, upon Luffy's signal, set the sack ablaze. The Straw Hats watched as the flames permanently put the Marine to rest. Nami handed Usopp the Tone Dial and walked over to Luffy, embracing him. "Thank you, Luffy."

"No, thank you, Nami. Without your help, I'd still be afraid."

He pulled her closer and was soon joined in a group hug by his crewmates, who hoisted him on their shoulders and gave him three cheers, tossing him into the air each time. After the third cheer, they carried him back into the kitchen to continue the festivities. Everything was back to normal...as crazy as that normal may have been.


End file.
